GPS chairman Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg (fifth left) together with leaders from GPS component parties namely Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) giving their thumbs-up after the launch of the GPS logo at the PBB headquarters on January 9, this year. — File photo
KUCHING: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) will be applying to the Registrar of Societies (RoS) to have its acronym included under its logo to ensure that voters will not confuse their “hornbill” with others on the ballot paper.
Parti Rakyat Sarawak president Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing said this was decided during the GPS supreme council meeting today to differentiate them from “other hornbills flying around” in reference to other political parties which have adopted the bird in their logo.
“The most important issue is we are seeking the endorsement by RoS on our logo. Our logo is marked by the Kenyalang (hornbill) but we want to put the word GPS below it.
“It will be used during the election, that is on the ballot paper,” Masing, who is also a deputy chief minister, told reporters after the meeting.
He explained further that the move was made to include the coalition’s acronym was because more people could now read, adding that the RoS had previously stopped political parties from putting words in their logo.
“A lot of people during those times they all know is the ‘dacing’ (scale). Now we thought the Kenyalang is not enough because there are too many Kenyalang (logo) flying around and this will cause some public confusion,” he said, referring to the scale logo of the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) government.
GPS was launched on June 12, 2018, following the defeat of BN in the general election a month earlier after more than 60 years in power.
Besides PRS, the members of the new coalition are Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu Sarawak, Sarawak United People’s Party and Progressive Democratic Party.
The next state election is due in April 2021.